Paintbrush



sept. .4, 1945.

E. L. HAWKINS Filed Dec. 2, 1943 in the two figures Patented Sept. 4, 1945 www y v,UNITED v:sr.\.1j-|':s, PATENT OFFICE l -v Y `2,384,029 t f t gllncatoylll. Application December 2, 1943, Serial No. 512,549

4 Claims. (Cl. 15-201) My invention'relates to paint brushes. It relates more in particular to an improved two-part paint brush having many features and advantages over conventional paint brushes `heretofore known.

Inmyl prior patent, No. 2,329,534,.I disclosed two embodiments of an invention comprising a paint brush wherein one part of the paint brush carried the handle. The parts were adjustable longitudinally so thatA all or only vapproximately half-of the bristles could bemade to engage the work, wherein, despite the adjustable character of the brush, the handle comprised substantially .a continuation of the brush as-a whole and wherein the weight, size and balance of the Vfinished brush were substantially the same as the corresponding characteristics ofthe conventional single piece brush of the prior art. While' the brush of my prior invention offers many advantages over the conventional style of brush, vIiind that it Acan be still vfurther improved, particularly in the.di rection of improving the manufacturefwhile, at the same time, simplifying and limprovingthe parts from a manufacturing standpoint.r` f

The principal object of-my invention is therprovision of an adjustable paintV brush of the character disclosed in my patent, above identified, but having certain advantagesv and improvements thereover. v

I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of my invention in the drawing wherein- 'Fig'. `1 is an elevational view of a paint brush constructed in accordance with my invention;

Figs. 2` and 3 are fragmentary isometricfviews of two portions of the paint brush assembledto form a completed brush, the portions shown vin Figs. 2 and 3 being engageable together inface'- to-face relation along the faces exposed to view Fig. 4 is' a fragmentary, verticaLcentraL'sectionalview taken along the linev "-4 of Fig. 1;- l Fig. 5 isa view similar to Fig.A 4 butwith the parts inadiil'erent position; y

Fig.' 6 vis a fragmentary, side"elevationall view but with the two parts separated from each other ;j

Figs. 'l and 8 are transverse sectional'views taken on the lines 1-41 and 8-1, respectively, of Fig. 1.

The brush of my invention includes two body portions I0 and II, the latter carrying handle I2. The body portions carry bristle sections I3 and forms of reenforcing section.

When the parts are assembled, as shown in Fig. 1, the paint brush of my invention, from the standpoint of size, weight, balance and the like, is substantially identical with a corresponding conventional single piece paint brush of the prior art. The sections Ill and Il have generally flat sides,

. however, andare separable and adjustable with I3', their ends being secured in suitable `bases I4 f 0 `tongue Il.

respect to each other. 'I'he section Il, carrying the handle I2,.has a flat projection or tongue; Il and this is .adapted to engage in ashallo-w recess or groove III.v ,The tongue and groove construction thus provided may be undercut as indicated in Fig. 7 so that the parts are entirely separable from eachother only by sliding them out of contact in an endwise direction. By examining Figs. 2 and 3, it will be noted that the recess or groove I8 is somewhat longer than the projection or The tongue I'I extends to the reenforcing strip I6 of the section I I while the groove I8 obviously 4extends some slight distance below thereenforcing strip yI6 o-f the section I0, the said reenforcing strip being cut away `atthat portion `of the flat face of the section I0 which is occupied by the groove I8. The extent to which,

the tongue Il can be extended into the groove I8 is determined by the location of the lower end of this groove I8 and this distance determines the distance which the bristles I3 can be made to project beyond thebristles I3, The section II is provided with a hole I9 and thesection Ill `with a slot 2l through which a fastening member 22 is extended to supportvthe two sections in the two positions to which` they areavdjusted. The length of the slot 2| aiords apractical'limitatio'n to the extent to which the bristles I3 may be made to project beyond the bristles I3. g

With the construction described, itis obvious that the two body portions of the headl may be in alignment as shown in Fig. 1 and the ends of the bristles I3 and I3" also aligned; or the bristles I3 may-project some distance beyond the bristles I3;k or a reverse position maybe established in which the bristles I3 may project some distance beyond the bristles I3. The brush may be used,` therefore, as an ordinary brush or either set of bristles may be used as in stripping or for any purpose in which apainter may wishto lusea lighter brush'or a brush witha smaller bristle surface in contact with the Work. This ability to engage all or either section of the bristles may be made to provide for uniform wear while at the same time obtaining all of the advantages of a split brush from the standpoint of actual applica` strips .I6 and IS for each tion of paint. One set of bristles may be of a different character than the other, if desired, but preferably the bristles I3 are the same in character and amount as the bristles I3'. If some coarse and some nner bristles are used, conventional practices can be followed such as by placing coarser bristles in the interior of the brush and the finer bristles on the exterior portion.

Despite the fact that the two sections. may carry an identical number of bristles, my construction .provides a normal weight, balanced brush wherein the handle is practically a continuation of the two body portions or sections;

and still there is no break in the symmetry of the handle such es provided by the shouidr 1281' i of my prior patented invention. It wilLbe ,noted ,y

tinuation of one portion of thelhanclle,beingtsub' y stantially aligned with the narrow portion of the handle. engages over thetongue .l1 to form .athononghly symmetrical shape as appears clear from the secticn oi Fig; 4. Since the bottom Jof thefgroovel limits the movement ofi-.the tongue ;lz'l,zztheup permost portion .of thesectionj vnever reaches the portion ofthe handle which starts tofenlarge.; that is to say,.it never extends-.beyond the'nor.- may narrow neck portion of .the handle. This construction simplifies manufacture,..it.beng possible readily to manufacture thewooden portions of the brush onstandard machines withoutsube stantial waste of lumber but it also provides for. an extremely light, well .balanced brush.

The provision of the central tongueandgroove construction assures thetwo sections.of.the.brush remaining in alignment, the fastening means :22 being `only suflcient to preventthe .sections vsliding with respect to each other. The fastening member 22fis so constructed and arranged that it will not readily become contaminated with paint.

A quick opening mechanism of any :suitable 4type may be providedeso thatlit is necessary only to release the fastening mechanism. slightly and move the section kl U to a desired position 4.using the thumb While grasping the handle I2 in the ngers, of the same hand. The fasteningmeans `caribe entirely removed and they two `sections separated from each other 'forfcleaningl This cleaning feal-l ture alone is of unusual `advantageand Warrants the-usev of the brush of my i-nventionfevenfthough the adjustability feature thereof 'should not be employed. 1f

Here, as in my-previously describedA patent, I have 'provided a paint brush havingfa 'pair of brush heads each carrying a complement of bristles, and each head having 'agenerally flat side and the flat side ofthe two vheads disposed -to gether to form inefect a srigleweomposite head soA thatthe handle carried by Vone head'forms a continuation of bothheads, cryin other words, a continuation of the single composite head. vAs contrasted with my previous invention, however, thepflat .side associated with the vhandle has. a tongueand 1he flat side of the remaining head has a groove for receiving such tongue. 'The said tongue and groove, preferably, are self-locking undercut sides. Thesingle fastening means ex-'y The upper part of the section I tends through the tongue and groove and through the hole and longitudinal slot provided to receive such fastening means and is adequate to support the heads of the position to which they are adjusted. In other words, many of the significant and advantageous features of my prior invention have been retained but with much greater advantage because of the improvements herein described.

I have` described the irnplovements of Amy present. -invention in deteiigsotnat those vskiued in the art will understand the same but my inven- -.;l?ipn is limited only by the scope of the appended claims. A,

What I claim as new and desire to protect by ,.Letterjs Ratent of the United States ls:

V1. A paint brush of the character described 'comprising ahah-'cile and a two-section head each having .a. body portion and a set of bristles se curedthereto, one head section being secured to the hand-le .and thehandlecomprising-,anemonsion of. ,the .two sections: running. parallel: to said; bristles. the,section.carrying.tneahandle .hai/insa tongueiextending into a groove A of :thezsenond seo e tio-n- 'saidtongue. andgroovebeing on .-axes'parallel to said: bristles-and @single Yfasteningr11-.leans eis-..- tending. thronahlsaid body: portion te; hold the head sectoninadiustedrositionr. y 2. A paint:fbrushffasadenned inolaimilfwhe said Agroove is relativelyilongerzthansaid tongue whereby to permit transverse-alignment@ Qf-.saidbristles .or .projection of eithenset.- Qi bristles beyondtheother.; 1 3..-A-.paiot V-lozrush comprising .a .pair of .brush heads l with nat-.sides eah .carrying l brfstlesand disposed; with :their nat sides imaginer. Saidiflab. sideshavine a .tongue and groove ,runninalonsie tudinallyo :the naintbmsh, a .longitudinelislotf beihanrovi edm solo` ,groove-arid va .hole-imei@ tongue, a .single ;;aster1.r1g.means-extending through said. .slotanahola and enamel@ Liriteelal with one .ofi .said ,neads-and-.shapedto comprisecarrying head.. .011headpsectiomb s., Se to the handle-andthehandlenompri ne an' ein.; tension offigthe -twosectionaLl-.hesfc 's'. the handle N.having a tongue e' ing groei/ epi .thefseono head.,se ction.gwbr permit relative lengthwise.movmentbetw 'holdnSUh Sa i 've en... ing 'on' axles .1

head, ectio'ns., d; means or sections against l'such handleand ,tongue ander allel; to Leach' otheand saidV` head sections, the sai l substantial-vine. wenhtbelane and .Size Qta generallycor" 'sponding singleheadsection brush,

i etres? Lf .HAWIN 

